Event Description

This system is now becoming a world wide recognized method of design and construction. Starting as a hotel design solution it has become viable for student, assisted living, labor, worker, affordable housing. It is a complete system including structure, MEP, finishes, FF&E. Reference factory built products with third party inspection adding to a quality system that is easy to install and is structurally stable accepting wind loads and earth quake requirements including multiple floors in excess of 20 levels. It reduces travel on and off construction sites by 70-80%, reduces waste off site 70%, and produces a high quality finished building as designed by the architect and his consultants.

Speakers

Steven W. Miller, FAIA, RIBA, Council of Fellows Representative, AIA International; Principal, INNOVATION Architecture

Zac Cronin, Assoc. AIA, Associate Principal, INNOVATION Architecture

Moderator

Gustavo Ribeiro, Intl. Assoc. AIA, At-Large Director, AIA International, Secretary, AIA Latin America

CES: Estimated 1 LU/ HSW for AIA Members

Speaker Bios

Steven Miller co-founded INNOVATION Architecture, a Coral Gables-based architectural organization, alongside two partners: Gustavo Ribeiro, AIA International and President of AIA Latin America, with over 30 years of experience as an architect in Brazil, and Zac Cronin, a distinguished graduate of the University of Miami School of Architecture. The firm is currently engaged in major projects, including a LEED Platinum resort in the Caribbean and hotel developments in Saudi Arabia utilizing Steel Volumetric Modular systems.

Steven’s international planning and architectural firm, Planning and Design Consultants, has been operating since 1987 in Prague, London, Dubai, and Fort Lauderdale. Since 2005, he has served as Regional Manager for leading architectural firms such as Kohn Pedersen Fox, Perkins Eastman, and FXCollaborative, overseeing projects across the Middle East, India, and Africa. Additionally, Steven held the role of Senior Vice President of Business Development for Shapoorji Pallonji International, a billion-dollar design-build company in India. In Prague, he was also a real estate developer, earning design and development awards from the American Institute of Architects (AIA), MIPIM Europe, Urban Land Institute, the City of Prague, and Jean-Louis Solai for Business Development.

Steven is actively involved in architectural organizations, serving as a member of the National Architectural Accreditation Board (NAAB) for International University Certification (2016-2018, 2022-2025). He is also a Representative to the College of Fellows for AIA International, a past Regional Representative to the AIA Strategic Council, past Chairman of the Honorary Fellows Jury, past President and member of AIA Europe, and a founder and former Board Member of both the AIA Middle East Chapter and the AIA International Region. Additionally, Steven serves as past Chairman and current member of the AIA Global Practice Committee.

In academia,he is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Miami’s School of Architecture, where he lectures on World Design and Development of Hotels and leads a graduate studio on Hospitality and Restoration Adaptive Reuse, sponsored by KPF. Steven also serves on the Graduate MBA Advisory Board. His teaching experience includes positions at the University of Rome (historical and sustainable adaptive reuse), Charles University in Prague (contemporary design in a historical context), Cornell University (hotel and resort development, planning, and design), and the University of Colorado (leisure design using unique land opportunities).

Steven’s expertise includes urban planning and design, hospitality and resort development, historic preservation and adaptive reuse, multi-residential facilities, and Steel Volumetric Modular Construction.

Zac Cronin graduated from the University of Miami’s School of Architecture in 2024. During his time at UM, he was honored with the Faculty Award for Outstanding Upper-Level Student Design for his modular city project, which repurposed shipping containers to create a resilient urban environment adaptable to rising sea levels.

He is currently involved in the planning and design of hotels, resorts, and student housing, utilizing volumetric steel construction.

His studies took him to Rome and Seville, where he explored both historical and contemporary architectural practices. In Seville, he focused on Spolia—the integration of architectural elements from older structures into new construction. In Rome, he examined the evolution of Roman architecture through the ages, gaining a deeper understanding of how modern architecture has developed.

Cronin also interned with Hart Howerton in San Francisco, where he contributed to project planning, design, development, and documentation. He has a particular proficiency in renderings, computer programs, and the application of AI in practical architecture.

Moderator Bio

Born in Curitiba, Brazil, Gustavo Ribeiro obtained his Architecture and Urban Design bachelor degree from the Federal University of Minas Gerais State – UFMG in 1992. He founded Sito Arquitetura in 1994, after winning the "National Competition for the Usiminas Cultural Center at Ipatinga, MG Brazil”, from which a book was later published in 1996. This significant prize created an excellent opportunity for him to achieve a rich experience at an early career stage, leading to 24 years of generalist practice.

He has won many other noticeable prizes throughout his career, namely Milton Campos Square, Betim MG; Belo Horizonte Centennial Landmark; COHAB headquarters, Belo Horizonte, MG; Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora Community Center.

At Sito Arquitetura he is the head of design for projects of various scales and typologies and has been diligently working on Single Family, Multi Family, Housing, Commercial, Hospitality, Retail, Mixed-use and Urban Development projects in Brazil and Africa.

He was a board member of CAU/MG for the 2021-2023 term, having also served the 2018-2020 term; Board member of AsBEA MG, serving as Director from 2010 to 2018; BIM committee member of AsBEA, conducting the BIM Workgroup from 2015 to 2016; In 1999 he took a graduate specialization course in Real Estate Development at FUMEC University in Belo Horizonte Minas Gerais Brazil, increasing his knowledge in this area. Since then, he has started a real estate development initiative, researching, planning and delivering projects. He truly believes that an insightful architect vision in this industry can greatly improve the way people relate to their environment.